Anna Sentina Is a Badass Musician We Love on Instagram

A post shared by Anna Sentina (@annapocalypsee) on May 13, 2015 at 11:31am PDT

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Anna Sentina has accumulated over 30 million views on her YouTube channel by performing impressive guitar covers of bands like Metallica and Rush. The 20-year-old musician, who hails from California, is adept at other forms of social media too, including Instagram, where you can see her laying out at the beach, rocking out on guitar and bass, and generally looking like someone you want to hang out with. We spoke with Sentina about how she found her love for metal, her success on YouTube, and Metallica. If James Hetfield is looking for a protégée, we found her.

How did you first get into playing music?

I started at eight years old when my mom put me in piano lessons. Ever since then it became more than a hobby to me. I never stopped going. At 12, I started getting bored of the classical piano lessons and wanted to learn guitar, so I started going to School of Rock. I played shows and started working with bands, and it all flourished from there.

Yeah, definitely. That's what I grew up with, and I never grew out of it.

Are people ever surprised when they see how well you can play music by bands like Metallica?

They are! It was always a pain because when I was in a band and playing a bunch of shows nobody would believe I was in the band. I'd try to get onstage and the security guards would be like "Um, this is for bands only." I'd be like "Oh my God, dude, I am in the band." That happened to me all the time. It got old quick. But it's totally satisfying to put them in their place.

Which musicians are your personal idols?

I have a couple I've looked up to forever. For guitarists, James Hetfield from Metallica and Jimi Hendrix. For bassists, Louis Johnson from Brothers Johnson, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Les Claypool from Primus.

Metallica. That's one of the first bands I ever listened to and ever got into. They are so dear to my heart.

How do you select the songs you cover on YouTube?

I get a lot of requests. So I'll look at the requests and see if I like the song or not. Usually I do get really good requests. But it's mostly just some of my favorite songs, like Rush and Metallica. Those are just songs I listen to on a daily basis. I don't get very many weird requests. My fans know me really well.

What's it like to realize that people are watching your videos millions of times?

I never expected it. I started because I had recently quit School of Rock. I thought I was getting a little too old for it. I wanted to keep practicing. Being in School of Rock gave me such a good work ethic and I didn't want to stop learning and stop practicing. My mom and I decided to put me on YouTube. I started the channel a couple years back and started posting videos. Of course the idea that anybody could see it made me a little nervous so I wanted to put out good stuff that was well recorded. I never thought that many people would look at it! It was mostly just to keep my work ethic.

I did a guitar cover of "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. That was the first one to hit a million views. It blew up. And then Metallica shared it. That really sent my channel over the edge. It made me feel great about the whole YouTube idea so I kept putting out videos.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Do you write your own music as well?

I do. I'm working on a couple different projects right now with original music. I'm working Kevin Martin from Candlebox right now on a project that's being produced by Matt Hutchinson. I'm also working on a band collaboration with Casey Cooper and Emil & Dariel. They are two cello players who were finalists on America's Got Talent last year and Casey is another YouTuber. He's a drummer. So I have a lot of original stuff coming. I want to keep doing YouTube covers because I love doing them. But I also really look forward to putting out more original content. It's been something that my fans have been asking for.

When you're not playing music what are you up to?

Honestly I don't do that much besides music. But I'm a student too. I just did a program at Musician's Institute. I like being outside. I'm outdoorsy. I like swimming and going to the beach. But my life is basically music.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Esquire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.